Sand trap golfing game



March 13, 1962 11.1. D1 BUONO 3,025,059

SAND TRAP GOLFING GAME Filed July 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Agent Mal'd13, 1952 T. .1. DI BUONO 3,025,059

SAND TRAP GOLFING GAME Filed July 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /4 l/9 M3./8 /3 In ven [or 794600095 D/BUo/vo 2g y @M Agenf United States Patent O3,025,059 SAND TRAP GOLFING GAME Theodore J. Di Buono, 166-03 32nd Ave.,Flushing, N.Y. Filed Jury 22, 1960, ser. No. 44,695 3 Claims. (CI.273-32) This invention relates in general to goling games and moreparticularly to golfing games devised to perfect the art of sand trapgolng.

Heretofore, golfing games have employed artificial means for the purposeof improving the golfers skill and therefore have not been a truechallenge to the golfer. Where natural means were employed vast areas ofspace had to be utilized. These vast areas were usually in remoteregions and not convenient to the golfer, as far as travelling time, toreach these regions.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved meansto perfect the art of sand trap golfing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf game whichsimulates actual sand trap conditions.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a sand trap golfgame which is simple in construction and arrangement and has anautomatic ball return device.

A still further object of this invention -is to provide a sand trap golfgame which has an automatic timing device for limiting the time of play.

To these ends the invention contemplates `the use of a boxlike structureone end of which is filled with sand. A pair of fairway doorssubstantially fill the rest of the structure. These doors are pivoted soas to be able to slope towards the middle of the structure whenever itis desired that the balls on the fairway doors are to be gathered. Belowthe doors at the middle of the structure is a trough which catches theballs. The trough is angled towards the sand area so that all of theballs on the fairway doors when falling into the trough are returned tothe sand area. Immediately in front of the sand area is a screen whichis automatically timed so as to attain a vertical position after apredetermined time.

The invention has other objects and advantages which will appear fromthe following description of a particular embodiment of the invention inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the invention showing, in dotted lines, thecables which operate the fairway doors and the ball return trough;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along lines 2-2 ofFIGURE 1 showing the slope of the ball return trough and the lockingmechanism for the screen when in its horizontal position;

FIGURE 3 is a front transverse vertical sectional view taken along lines3 3 of FIGURE 1 showing, in dotted lines, the fairway doors when slopedtowards the middle;

FIGURE 4 is a front transverse Vertical sectional view similar to FIGURE3 taken along lines 4 4 of FIGURE 1 showing the screen in its verticalposition;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 5-5of FIGURE l showing the mechanism for raising and lowering the screen;and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective View of a plurality o-f similar game unitsarranged in a predetermined manner.

With reference to FIGURES l Ithrough 5 the particular embodiment shownthere of the invention comprises, in general, a boxlike structure 10having a front panel 11, a rear panel 12, a left `side panel 13, a rightside panel 14 and a bottom panel 1S. A partition 16 is placed across theforward part of the box 10 so as 'to form two separate compartments. Theforward compartment is filled with sand 17 and the rear compartment hasa pair of fairway doors 18 and 19 mounted therein. The doors are mountedice on pivot pins 21 and 22 and 23 and 24 respectively.

-Where the fairway doors meet at the center there are a series of holes25 formed by having `semicircles cut in each door so as to be injuxtaposition with each other. The left and right sides 13 and 14respectively, of the box 10, are recessed in the rear compartment so asto form ledges 26 and 27 (see FIGURES 3 and 4) for the doors 18 and 19to rest on respectively. The doors will normally rest on the ledgessince their weight is so distributed with respect to the pivot points asto make the outside portions of the doors heavier than the insideportions.

Below the doors in the center of the rear compartment of the box is atrough 2S which slopes from the rear of the box towards `the front ofthe rear compartment where it is angled towards the right side of thefront compartment. A pail like receptacle 29 connects with the fron-t ofthe trough to catch any balls rolling down the trough 28.

A screen 31, lwhich acts as a barrier to prevent unauthorized play andto limit the `time of play, is positioned between the rear and frontcompartments. When the game is in use the screen assumes a horizontalposition. The -screen 31 pivots about a pivot pin 32 which extendsthrough the entire length of the screen, When the screen is in itshorizontal position it is held ther-e by a locking arm 33 which iscontrolled by a :timing mechanism (not shown). The locking arm holds thescreen in its horizontal position for a predetermined time after whichthe timing mechanism pulls the locking arm off of the screen. With lthelocking arm 33 off of the screen 31, a bellcrank 34, which is biased bya tension spring 35, returns the screen -to its upright position. Theupright position is the position controlled by a stop pin v36 and alatch stop 37 which stops ya latch arm 38, which is biased by a tensionspring 39, so as to move with the bellcrank 34.

A pair of brackets 41 `and 42 are att-ached to the underside of thefairway doors 18 and 19, respectively. These brackets are in line withthe pivot points of each door and midway between the front and rear endthereof. At the bottom of bracket 42 is ia pulley 43. A cable 44 isattached to the bottom of the bracket 41. The cable passes around apulley 45 which is supported by a bracket 46 which is attached to thebottom of the box 10. The cable 44 then runs to the other side of the.box where lit passes around pulley 47, pulley 43 and pulley 43. Pulley47 and pulley 48 are supported by a bracket 49 which is connected to thebottom of the box 10. The cable then runs to the front of the box whereit ends in a handle 51 which is controlled by a coin box mechanism (notshown).

A second cable 52 is attached to cable 44 at point 53 from which itpasses around a pulley 54 which is supported by a bracket 55. Bracket 55is connected to the bottom of the box 10. The cable 52 after it passesaround the pulley 54 runs to latch `arm 3S where it is rigidly securedthereto.

Referring to FIGURE 6, it is seen that a plurality of similar units maybe arranged in a particular way so as to provide facilities for a numberof players to practice hitting out of a sand trap, simultaneously.

The operation of the invention will now be explained to indicate how theparts enumerated above operate together to perform a useful function ina new and novel manner.

One wishing to practice the art of hitting golf balls out of a sand trapwould deposit a coin in a coin slot 56. This would release the cable 44and the player would pull on the handle 51 which is attached to thecable 44.

Cable 44 would pull on the fairway doors 18 and 19 and tilt them towardsthe center of the box 10. All of the golf balls on the fairway doorswould roll towards the center and fall into the trough 28. The ballswould then roll towards the front of the box and end up in the pail likereceptable 129. Simultaneously, when the handle 51 is pulled, the cable52 will pull on latch arm 38 which in turn, through tension spring 39,will pull on the bellcrank 34. Crank 34, being attached to the screen31, pulls the screen with it until the screen assumes a horizontalposition and is caught under the locking arm 33 which holds the screenin a horizontal position when the tension in the cable '52| is released.At the same time when the coin is deposited in the coin slot a timingmechanism is started which controls the locking arm 33 so that after apredetermined time the locking arm is pulled out of the path of thescreen 31 and the screen, because of the tension spring 35, returns to avertical position.

The player now takes the golf balls and places them, one or more at atime, on the sand 17. He then attempts to hit them out of the sand ontothe fairway doors. Any of the balls that he hits which roll into any ofthe holes 2S will return to the receptacle 29 through the trough 28.

The player continues to play until either all of the balls have been hitonto the fairway doors or until the predetermined time which has beenset into the timing mechanism has expired.

Although I have described particular embodiments of the invention, it isunderstood that the present disclosure has been made by way of exampleand that numerous changes in the details of construction and thecombination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and the Scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A sand trap golfing game comprising, a boxlike structure having sidepanels, a front and rear panel and a bottom panel, a partition dividingsaid structure into a front and rear section, sand substantially fillingsaid front section, a pair of fairway doors pivotally mounted in saidrear section, a means for tilting said fairway doors so that they tilttowards the middle of said structure, a trough rigidly secured to saidstructure and positioned so as to lie beneath the opening created by thetilting of said fairway doors, said trough being sloped from the reartowards the front of said structure, a screen pivctally mounted abovesaid partition and a means for horizontally positioning said screen whensaid fairway doors are actuated.

2. A sand trap golng game as claimed in claim l wherein said tiltingmeans consists of a cable, a bracket rigidly secured to the underside ofeach of said fairway doors in line with the pivot points of said doors,a pulley rotatably mounted on one of said brackets, a third bracketmounted on the bottom panel of said structure beneath the fairway doorhaving the mounted pulley, a second pulley rotatably mounted on saidthird bracket, a third pulley rotatably mounted on said third bracketalongside said second pulley and in line therewith, a fourth bracketmounted on said bottom panel beneath the other of said fairway doors anda fourth pulley rotatably mounted on said fourth bracket, said second,third and fourth pulleys being in one plane with respect to each other,said cable passing around each of said pulleys and being fastened tosaid bracket not having a pulley mounted thereon whereby the pulling ofthe free end of the said cable tilts said fairway doors upon their pivotpoints towards the center of said structure.

3. A sand trap golfing game as claimed in claim l wherein said screenpositioning means consists of a cable, a bellcrank connected to saidscreen, a tension spring, a latch arm connected to said bellcrankthrough said tension spring, a latch stop, a second tension springconnected between said structure and said bellcrank, said second tensionspring holding said latch arm against said latch stop through saidbellcrank, a bracket rigidly secured to said bottom panel of saidstructure, a pulley rotatably secured to said bracket, said cablepassing around said pulley and being fastened at one end thereof to saidlatch arm whereby the pulling of the free end of said cable pulls thescreen down from a vertical position to a horizontal position and alocking arm positioned so as to hold said screen in a horizontalposition upon the tension in said cable being released.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,574,596 Barnett Feb. 23, 1926 1,924,511 Peterson Aug. 29, 19332,212,333 Wade Aug. 20, 1940

